Variably Constant
by Mr.LucyLu
Summary: And maybe her old self would have thought almost nothing of it. She would have been sad for a while. Probably have something more to mourn for, what with Sasuke leaving as well. In the grand scheme of things at that point in time, had Lee not made it, it would have been practically insignificant.


**Disclaimer: **As always, Masashi Kishimoto is the rightful owner of Naruto. I just borrow the characters occasionally for my sole entertainment and hopefully yours as well

* * *

It was well past midnight and the kunoichi knew it, but she _needed_ to see him.

The echoing pitter-patter of rain hitting the graveled road was the only thing her mind registered as she made her way toward her destination. Her vision was already blurry and the fat drops falling on her face were not making the journey easy, but she paid the annoyance no mind. She had to get there; she needed to feel the warm embrace, hear the soothing words and see the gentle face from the one constant in her life.

Sakura pushed forth, expending chakra through her feet in urgency, passing through the village in a blur of pink. If Tsunade saw her, she would no doubt reprimand her for the waste on such a trivial task. But to her, this was nothing short of momentous.

She was just a few yards away from the small house when her feet skidded to an abrupt halt.

That constant was awake. He was up and about, despite the hour, standing in the threshold of his home. His arms, those strong, abled arms Sakura deemed her haven, were woven around the body of another.

Sakura's fists curled into balls of rage. Her knuckles turned white from the force and shook from an emotion she hadn't felt since she was a mere genin, fighting—_striving_ for the attention of a boy who up till now, years later, felt nothing for her. But now it was with good reason. The feeling doubled as she recalled the purpose of her trek toward _his_ house in the first place.

Once upon a naïve time, Sakura had been a fool. A fool for a love that was never reciprocated no matter how many times she tried. Sasuke had been her ideal vision of a perfect man. He was strong, bred with the manners any respectable clan ingrained onto their offspring, mysterious in a way that enraptured every bit of your attention seeking to know, to _understand _them.

Plus, he was handsome. He was the most handsome boy she had ever laid her eyes upon.

Then, it happened. That day on the bridge, her illusion of him shattered. But it wasn't crushed in its entirety at that time. Oh, no. It had taken weeks, months, _years_ for it to completely fall apart to the point where she acknowledged _for herself_ that loving Sasuke was only killing her spirit.

Now, ten years later, after his successful retrieval, she only saw him as nothing more than a special teammate, a friend on more or less the same pedestal she regarded Naruto, though Kami forbid the rumbustious blond ever found out how high it stood. His male ego was big enough already, thank you very much.

Sakura stood there, in the drenching rain, watching as Lee smiled at Tenten, not with one of those eye blinding smiles he inherited from his sensei, but with a soft barely there grin where most of his happiness was not seen through the curve of his lips, but through the gleam in his dark eyes. Her insides were stirring with what her inner Sakura finally screamed _it's fucking jealousy you half brained nitwit! _

"Of course," she said to herself lowly.

She knew something had been bubbling deep beneath the surface of her heart for the past Kami knows how long. But after dealing with a love that nearly broke her and shattered her hope, she was forced to continuously deny the fluttering in her stomach and accelerating heart beat every time Lee spoke her name or waved at her from a distance or even just casually glanced at her in the most innocent of moments. Oh, Sakura _knew_ she had it bad.

After Sasuke came back, hundreds of emotions swarmed at her, overwhelming her with relief, anger, forgiveness, trepidation, uncertainty. They hit her so hard she wasn't surprised when she found herself on that same bridge where it all began and huddled into herself.

Sakura had felt so ashamed. The composure, which had been building up over the years, along with her maturity, had broken the minute her eyes followed Naruto, Sasuke in tow, restrained, ruffled up, bloodied and just finally _there, _alive and well, save for the many broken bones, ribs and muscle tissue that she, along with a cursing Tsunade, had tended to.

But after that breakdown, she pulled herself together and resolved to never show that side to anyone. Not even Naruto. Unfortunately, she had not been alone for that momentarily painful lapse of time. It proved just how bad Sasuke's return had affected her when she didn't even sense the small chakra signature.

Lee had seen her make her way towards the bridge, but stayed far behind in order to give her room. He never once made a move to come near and for that she was, hitherto, thankful. She wanted to be alone to release every bit of repressed emotion she'd forced into submission. And she did so to the point of passing out completely on that same bench where she had been left behind so many years ago.

It was only when she found herself blearily blinking away the crustiness of dried tears from her eyes with one hand, while the other gripped at the softness of cotton that she noticed herself floating through the empty streets of Kanoha, quieted down by the night fall.

She remembered the moment quite clearly. She had fallen asleep, exhausted by the strength of her emotions ramping through her body and Lee had been there, ready to scoop her up from her place of suffering and keep her safe. Just like he always promised.

It was in that moment, as she peered up, inconspicuously faking slumber, that she took in the entirety of Lee for the first time.

He was a boy—_no_, she had surprisingly realized, he is a _man _now—a twenty-three year old Jounin man who stood his ground for his beliefs. A man who's loyal, kindhearted and forgiving, compassionate and non-judgmental, open, strong.

_So strong _her mind had supplied as she felt the solidity of his body against her form.

She had blushed, partly because of her musings, but in realization that _he _was the man who, throughout the years, without fail, had always been there to watch her back. Even now when he knew that she was more than capable of protecting herself, he would stand beside her, whatever the confrontation, regarding her as an equal and ready to provide _assistance _whenever possible. Despite her rejections to his date proposals, which had become too few and far between now that she thought about it, he was still _there. _

Like her own personal constant.

And it was selfish, and she was self-centered to rejoice in his unwavering persistence and it had taken all her concentrated might to remain still sleep-like in his arms as her thoughts did the equivalent of a wave function collapse.

The epiphany hit her like a ton of bricks. The single most conclusive explanation that could explain the inner freak out she experienced in that moment _finally_ spelled itself into words.

She loved him.

She, Sakura Hurano, had completely, unashamedly and irrevocably fallen in love with Rock Lee.

And that was the very moment her mind decided to shut down and draw a blank. She couldn't recall when she got home. Did he wake her up once they reached her apartment? Or did he search for her key and waltz right in? No. He's too polite. For one, he would rather die a thousand ways than to take the opportunity to roam her body—innocently, mind you—just to look for her key. And two, she had traps that required the use of chakra to deactivate them.

She was betting on the former. But for all that was holy, she couldn't, for the life of her, remember anything after her groundbreaking enlightenment.

But now here she stood, tired, drenched, heaving strangled breaths as she became an undetected observer to a scene she was not prepared for.

The logical part of her mind was telling her to chill. Tenten was his teammate. A lifelong friend. A counterpart of Naruto, if you will, was the position reversed. The brunette had every right to hug and to talk and to be at his home at precisely one twenty seven in the morning. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this.

_Ah_, but jealousy has been an old friend of hers and with it tagged along cloudy judgment, irrational thinking, abrasive behavior and her favorite, bitchy-inner-Sakura.

_Who does she think she is?_

_You better get your ugly paws off of him!_

_**Leave**__ right now you tramp or I swear a new ocean will be created once I'm done pummeling you to the ground. _

Logic had taken a backseat to the deepest and most obscure part of her brain. Apparently, fear is the enemy of logic.

Comments made by Ino a few weeks prior to her realization surfaced with a vengeance. At the time she had been left appalled by the blonde's observations.

"_Hey, have you taken a look at Lee lately?" Blue eyes sparkled with interest, following said man as he made his way in front of the flower shop, both hands carrying a good handful of grocery bags. _

_Sakura had been propped up against the front desk counter, absentmindedly picking at the dango she had bought. When she heard his name, her heart did a little jolt of pleasant surprise, but she kept herself in check._

"_What about him?" She said as detachedly as she could, but her eyes found themselves seeking Lee out._

_Ino had turned to her, her own dango halfway to her lips. "Let's just say I'm curious to the extent of his stamina outside of the training grounds."_

_Sakura choked on the piece of dango she'd been chewing, completely taken off guard. "W-what?" She sputtered incoherently. _

"_Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed. Ever since he came back from his extended mission, he completely changed. For one, he's not wearing that ridiculous spandex suit 24/7. Two, he's letting his hair grow and I'll be damned if that's not the greatest decision he's ever made."_

_Sakura snorted at that. "But I thought you hated that suit more than anything, given your fashion expertise."_

_Ino hummed around a swallow. "I do, don't misunderstand. It's atrocious, but when you get a chance to see him train firsthand, those thoughts are inconsequential and all you want is for him to continue kicking whatever stump is in his way just to see his butt flex. I'm telling you, it leaves nothing, yet everything to the imagination, you know?"_

_Color began to dust Sakura's cheeks involuntarily because she knew. Kami-sama she _knew_. _

"_He's slowly getting his own fan club. It's small, but boy do they have spirit."_

_Now this, Sakura did not know. "Are you serious?"_

"_Yup. Caught the little twerps taking pictures while he and Naruto rested after some challenge. Shirtless, may I add. I couldn't blame them for wanting to keep a memento. I was half tempted to accept a copy as a bribe not to rat them out. I mean those sculpted abs," she fanned herself coquettishly, "on both of them, but Lee's abs make you want to do your laundry on them."_

"_INO!" Sakura screeched, flustered, because yes, that very thought crosses her mind when Lee goes in for a check-up. Even after a mission when he's overdone it after being told the exact opposite and damn it, it's unprofessional to have such thoughts when he's a convalescing patient!_

"_What?! It's true. But man, I feel sorry for you, Billboard Brow. You always find yourself as public enemy number one to the fan girls."_

_The pink haired woman scowled at the nickname. "What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, first you get paired off in Sasuke's team. Every girl's envy. Including my own," she cringed in remembrance. "Then Naruto saves the village repeatedly and grows the fuck up and bam! You're his best friend and girls once again curse your existence. And now, latent puberty is doing wonders to Lee and everyone knows who he continuous to go after." Ino rolled her eyes at the obvious answer. _

"_If you don't act now, once of these days someone is going to show Lee that he _can_ move on from you and you're going to regret it. Now, as much as I would like to take that stamina and test it in the bedroom, I don't think Kankuro would approve."_

"_We're just friends, Ino!"_

"_Mhmm. Sure. Whatever you say." The sarcasm she detected in the blonde's voice should have sent warning signs to her brain. But at the moment, all she wanted was to divert the conversation elsewhere. Away from her pathetic love life._

"_So Kankuro, huh?"_

Green eyes found clarity from her musings and hardened. If what Ino said was true, then she couldn't afford to disregard Tenten from being a potential threat. It may have taken her years, but she now knew what she wanted. And she would be damned if she let someone take Lee away.

Sakura regained a sense of calm, though her insides felt like a wrongly played out orgy. What if he _had _gotten over her? The last time he asked her out was over a year ago, after Sasuke returned. Had she made it perfectly clear that she was over her dark-headed teammate? He didn't think she was in love with Naruto, did he? Sure, they were close. Practically glued to the hip, but eww. No. Besides, his and Sasuke's relationship was no secret.

Before she knew it, her feet had taken an unconscious initiative while she debated the possibilities in her head.

A cursed door acted as a boundary, separating her from the person inside. Her resolve crumbled a bit in that instant as her negative thoughts continued on a wild rampage through her skull. She was playing the part of a kicked puppy well enough; sopping, shaking and all without receiving the proverbial kick.

Sakura was losing her determination, but before she could think about what a coward she was, the door flew open and out Lee came, almost crashing into the immobile bag of insecurities standing at his doorstep.

"Sakura! What are you doing here?" He was genuinely surprised. Two bulky, black trash bags fell from his hands and to the floor with a heavy thump.

"I uh…I—I came to visit…you?" _Jolly gee, fantastic eloquence, Sakura. He's sure wooed off his feet._

"If you're busy I can always come back later," she said hurriedly, already taking a step back. _Coward._

"No, no, no! Please, come in! You are soaking to the bone." Lee ushered her inside, bringing the bags back in as an afterthought.

Sakura stepped in reluctantly. Even though she had been inside his home countless of times, this very moment felt different. At least for her. Now that she was inside, there would be no turning back. If she didn't do this now, the next time she surged up the courage it could be too late. Tenten might have earned his affection. _Ino_ might even make a move just to prove a point.

She was not above doing it, either. Hunky Kankuro be damned.

If Lee noticed her stiff posture and solemn expression, he didn't mention it. Instead, he focused on the first and foremost problem at hand.

"Let me get you a towel. You must be freezing!" And she was, now that he mentioned it. Her skin felt like it was being pricked, the coolness of his apartment causing the flesh to rise in a dotted, bumpy decoration.

Lee returned, a white, fluffy looking towel draping over his shoulders while his hands held a too-loose-for-his-form shirt and some black drawstring pants.

"Here you go. You should change into some dry clothing. I would not want you to get sick."

Sakura eyes snapped up to look at Lee when he reentered the small living room and accepted the offered items, knowing that arguing against his suggestion would only prove futile. She gave him a shy, warm smile before answering with a low _thank you_ and headed towards his bathroom.

"Oh, if you would like to take a shower, please by all means." He extended his arm toward the room she was heading to with a polite, gesturing sweep.

"I will. Thank you, Lee," she bowed in gratitude. Lee gave her a pleased smiled and nodded. He was once again trotting towards his door, bags in hand.

Sakura heard the echo of a door close from the bathroom and immediately slid to the floor, her wet shoes squished under her weight.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! _Why was it taking her so long?If only she had a sliver of the confidence Ino possessed, she would have already shown him the purpose of her visit. Maybe, she should have jumped him right when he opened the door and kissed him. Or pulled him in by the hand when he gave her the towel. So many maybes!

Sakura shook her head, a few droplets of water scattering to the wall and floor. In a flash, she stood up, almost slipping forward—a blow to her ninja occupation—and yanked the door open, striding toward Lee's small, homely living room.

Lee wasn't back from wherever it was that he went and it gave her time to come up with something coherent to say.

"Lee, I think I like you." _You _think? _Really? You're hyperventilating because you THINK?_

"Okay, okay. Wrong wording. Lee, I like you." _No, no, no. You don't just _like_ him. _

"Lee, I love you." Somehow that sounded completely cheesy, even though it _did _evoke everything. Sakura paced a circle on the wooden floor, her wet feet squish-squashing a steady rhythm.

"Lee, there's something I need to tell you. Over the past few months, I've become aware of you. Like, extremely aware of your presence any time you're near my vicinity. And it's not like when we were younger and I was on alert trying to avoid you. I'm not like that anymore. Just putting it out there."

Great, she was rambling, how was she going to remember all of this?

Taking a deep breath, she started again. "At first it was disconcerting because it was just you; the Lee I've always known. My friend, my self-proclaimed protector," her throat rumbled with a chuckle. "I couldn't figure out why or even when my eyes started to chase you! You came back from that mission and it was like everything about you changed. In a good way! I mean, you got more confident in yourself, and _man_, is that confidence attractive. And you're attractive…definitely."

Sakura took another respite from her monologue in order to push down the blush she felt coming at those words. If she was going to be blunt, might as well go all out.

"But don't think I'm saying this superficially because it's not just your looks, it's just everything about you! You're so sweet and hardworking and sensitive to the emotions of others and considerate and to put it in Naruto's crude words I think the sun shines out of your ass…your really perky, round and toned ass," her voice lowered at the end of those shamefully truthful words. Cool, clammy hands came up to her face, concealing her flushing cheeks. Kami, she couldn't say _that!_

Okay, maybe she shouldn't go _all _out.

"Well I am glad my backside is up to your liking, Sakura." Sometime during her long-winded confession, she had stopped pacing, her back to the front door, making her oblivious to Lee's return.

The chuckled, unforeseen response took the still blushing kunoichi by complete surprise. She whipped around fast, a mistake that was caught too late by both ninjas and ended up slipping, her right elbow hitting the edge of Lee's coffee table while her left hand flew in front of her to break her fall. It was a vain effort on her part as her palm slid beneath her, but thankfully Lee caught her shoulders at the last second before she face planted.

"Sakura! Are you okay?!" Lee lifted her up carefully as his eyes roamed for injuries. The concern in his gaze made Sakura's heart melt.

"I guess you could say I fell hard for your backside?" She tried to lighten up the mood. The dark-headed man gave her a chiding look before resuming his inspection. _Well, damn me if that look doesn't suit him. Is he taking lessons from Sasuke?_

"Your elbow is bleeding. I will go get some disinfectant and some gauze. Please wait here."

Green eyes trailed after his retreating back, finally realizing his state of dress, or lack thereof. Just a pair of pajama pants. This wasn't fair! It really wasn't! She'd seen him in far less clothing. She was practically his own personal doctor!

But the circumstances were different. He wasn't her patient. His life wasn't hanging by a thread. Right now he was a man and she—well she was a woman in love with said man. Hormones were a bitch. She wiped at her lips with the back of her hand, just in case she was fucking drooling like an imbecile.

It took a few seconds after he disappeared from her line of sight that his words finally processed. Blood was spilling at a steady pace and it was only then that she winced. It fucking _hurt_.

Funny how you never feel the intensity of a certain injury until you actually set your eyes on it. Maybe it was because the mind needed to know that it was real; have it confirmed to itself and it couldn't do that unless you looked at it.

She was a few seconds away from healing herself when she thought better of it. Lee was coming back with a first aid kit. _He _was going to patch her up even though he knew she could easily do it herself. Lee wanted to do this. And surprisingly enough, she understood why.

After years of being treated by Sakura, this was the least he could do because in a roundabout way—more like crazy reasoning—this was his fault. It wasn't! But knowing Lee, his home had caused Sakura's boo-boo.

So now her she was, feeling more than touched. She was used to patching herself up. It was more of a routine than anything else, unless the damage was far more than she could handle, but she held strong most of the time to not need another set of hands. Especially for something this small. But for once, she was willing to be spoiled. More than willing, she was eager.

The brunet strode back in, a first aid kit in hand. Gently, he led Sakura to his couch where they both sat next to each other. With a wet cloth, Lee gingerly padded the injured area clean and winced.

"I should invest on a round edged table for next time you decide to slip in my house. That is a big gash."

And it was. Now that there wasn't blood pooling around her arm, Sakura could see the definite jagged split of skin. She scrunched her nose just looking at it.

"Next time, I'll just come padded with pillows." Lee chuckled lowly, shaking his head.

"Would you like to heal this up yourself so it will not scar, or would you mind me finishing with patching you up?"

Lee was staring at her intently with those coal-like eyes of his. His hand was still running back and forth with the wet wipe, continuing to clear the blood beading out at a much slower pace.

"I don't mind you doing it." The brunet smiled up at her, as if he was relieved to hear that response.

"This might sting a little, but it'll help with the scarring." He applied a dollop of some yellow looking salve and smoothed it out along her marred skin. His calloused touch was soft and gentle, something that contradicted the strength he reserved solely for training and the battlefield.

While he worked on addressing her wound, Sakura took the selfish liberty of roaming over the expanse of caramel colored skin, or should she say a variety of its tones. Every shinobi sported scars; from light blemishes to deep lacerations and even mutilations. Every single one retained a reminder of their vocation.

Well, maybe except Naruto and the Kazekage for obvious reasons. They were the outliers.

But Lee, his body was _swarmed_. His chest was littered with marks ranging from small, thin lines that were hardly noticeable unless light shone on them to large, protruding gashes marring his skin with uneven bumps and clefts. Green eyes shifted and landed on the most prominent and possibly the most life threatening he's ever had.

And take it from her, he's had quite a few more subsequently.

Without thinking about it, her hand lifted, tracing the old scars that almost cost Lee's life.

It was a fifty percent chance, they had said. Fifty percent chance of surviving the operation. Fifty percent chance of having it all end on that operating table. Just a toss of a damn coin.

And maybe her old self would have thought almost nothing of it. She would have been sad for a while. Probably have something more to mourn for, what with Sasuke leaving as well. In the grand scheme of things at that point in time, had Lee not made it, it would have been practically insignificant.

But he'd made it. Lee survived, and not only that, he recuperated bodily functions that even Tsunade had said would be impossible to have again. They had told him life as a civilian was all that waited for him, but Lee proved _everyone wrong! _

And now here he was, ten years later tending to Sakura's cut on his couch. Alive. Breathing. With more scars to prove his continuing existence. And as much as she hated them, she equally loved them, every single scar because they were tangible proof that he was here, sitting close to her, feeling his body heat intermingling with her own.

They're a kind of morbid relief in a ninja's profession. Better a scar permanently carved on the body than a name carved on the memorial stone.

The realization isn't even surprising anymore.

She couldn't fathom a life without Lee's presence.

When Lee felt the warm caress on his left arm he looked up, stopping his ministrations on Sakura. Her eyes were glazed over, following her movements on his skin in a reverent trance.

Lee remained frozen like a statue, not having the heart to disturb her. Instead, he watched her face contort, wondering about the thoughts running through her mind.

When her hand descended further down to his wrist, he let her lift his hand up as she examined it closely. His face felt a bit hot at the proximity. This was the first time Sakura took it upon herself to touch him—out of hospital examinations—and it was making him a bit embarrassed.

Okay. _A lot._

Especially now that the long-winded confession he managed to hear repeated itself in his head.

He'd just left for a short minute in order to dispose of the bags he managed to fill during his spring cleaning. Tenten had even been surprised for the second bag since he usually kept his apartment fairly tidy to barely need one, but missions had been coming one after another; a proud reminder of his accepted ascension in rank to jounin.

So it wasn't even a minute that he was gone. Thirty seconds tops and…yeah. He froze. He should have stopped her midway. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, but how is someone supposed to react when your special person is actually declaring the reciprocation of the same feelings you've been trying to put past you?

Yes, he'd finally decided to move on. When Sasuke came back, Lee had been there for the pink haired kunoichi, being witness to her breakdown, her depression, her exhaustive collapses after her hospital shifts. But most importantly, Lee observed the return of a genuine, cheery disposition that had disappeared right along Sasuke all those years ago.

But then, she didn't start to avoid him per say, she just began to hang around Sasuke and Naruto more. Both of her boys were back. Surely, she'd want to make up for lost time, right?

He couldn't blame her. They _are_her teammates.

But now she was here, in front of him, with an unanswered confession hanging in the air.

Sakura suddenly snapped out of whatever state she'd been in and zeroed in on Lee's eyes.

There was a desperate look to her expression. Scared, somewhat...disbelieving? Lee didn't have time to ask or even ponder about it before he found himself millimeters away from Sakura's face. His lips felt warm and slightly moist and it took a few seconds for things to click into place.

His eyes widened and he tried to push Sakura away gently to ask...he didn't even know what he wanted to ask! Lee wasn't even sure if he was capable of forming words at this point, but the kunoichi parted enough to speak.

"No...just please. Let me, Lee. Please," she breathed out, pleadingly. Her hands were at his cheeks. They were warm, trembling.

It was amazing to know that those fingers could cause great damage with just a flick and yet she held on so gently.

"I need to know you're really here."

Lee was left speechless. Sakura's breath ghosted over his lips and it sent shivers down his spine. His hands slowly descended until they rested on her slim hips.

Sakura gazed up at him with glimmering eyes he couldn't quite decipher, but there was something there that only this fragile act could answer it, so he nodded and that was all it took.

She kissed him again with a force that clashed teeth against teeth. It was graceless, it was forceful, but those proverbial sparks you only read in books exploded, inundating both ninja with craving sensations and somehow, Sakura managed to push him down, never breaking contact.

The moment she deliciously maneuvered her hips to straddle his own, he broke away fast, gasping for stolen breath. "Wait, Sakura! Are y—are you sure about this?" His brows wrinkled from the will it was taking to control his hips.

He was a man. Of course this was going to cause some sort of reaction, but he didn't want Sakura to see how hard this exchange was on his body. Pun intended.

Green eyes searched his own, her own breath coming out in rapid puffs, warming and cooling his heated skin all at the same time.

Nimble fingers trailed his cheekbones, kneading the soft skin all the way to his scalp. His hair moved easily with the flow of her fingers and his eyes closed from how good it felt having them massage his head.

"-'ere."

Lee opened his eyes, humming a questioning noise at her direction.

"You're here. You're really here."

Sakura's voice was soft, unsure, as if his answer would reveal that his existence was a lie.

"I am here, Sakura. I have always been here. And I will always be here to the best of my ability," he husked, voice trembling with unbridled emotion.

And if she needed any more confirmation, his thumbs began to form soothing circles on the sliver of unclothed skin from where his hands remained perched on her hips. She gasped and unintentionally ground her bottom into Lee's crotch, earning a hearty moan Lee couldn't suppress.

"Lee I—I love you. I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long."

Lee looked at her, searched her eyes, finding nothing but truth in her words laced with regret in her voice.

He brought a hand up to her neck, cupping the back of it and bringing her forward, laying her down flush with his body before asking, "May I?"

She didn't bother answering. Instead, she leaned forward, her hands squeezing his bare shoulders for some kind of leverage as Lee met half way and kissed her.

Lee's hands wrapped around her waist and shivered when her hands threaded through his hair, gripping it. It was let loose, taken out of the plait he usually wore now that it reached past his shoulders and he was finding out at this very moment how much of a turn-on it was having it pulled.

His fingers kneaded Sakura's back, inadvertently raising her shirt—which he could feel was still wet and had him hoping she wouldn't get sick because of it—up. Her skin was cool to the touch and so soft. Goosebumps rose with every trail his fingers made and it only made Sakura's undulations on top of his lower regions increase.

They parted, each breathing in deeply. Their eyes locked and no one could deny the want in their gazes, but Lee was nothing if not adamant in proper courtship. Call him old fashioned—well, in fact, Naruto already did.

"Sakura," his breath hitched. She was right here, finally in his arms and it all felt incredibly surreal that if it wasn't for the uncomfortably tight feeling in his groin area, he would have thought it a cruel dream.

"You know I love you. I do not think I could ever stop."

Hearing those words made the pink-haired kunoichi choke down a sob.

She could have lost this. How could she have been so blind to the profound love Lee offered her when all she was trying to do the for the last couple of years was search for it?

Lee's eyes widened when the first couple of tears began to fall and immediately sat up. "What is it, Sakura? Did I say something wrong?" He wiped the moisture from her cheeks with calloused thumbs, frowning.

Despite his worry, Sakura chuckled between tears. She wound her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. His skin was warm and provided such a reassuring comfort "Nothing, Lee. Nothing. I doubt you could ever say the wrong thing."

The sexual tension that had fervently permeated the room dwindled. Lee's hands rubbed soothing circles up and down her spine and they stayed that way for a while, just enjoying the others warm presence.

Meanwhile, Lee willed his erection away, content with having the love of his life in his arms, but in the back of his head a small cloud of doubt was sprouting. Was Sakura sure that _he_ was what she wanted?

After so many rejections, this confession was almost too good to be true. He'd stopped avidly pursuing her, but only after Naruto drilled him to understand that you couldn't force your feelings onto someone else, hoping they'd be reciprocated. It had been an embarrassing conversation for him. Not only because he realized the flaws in his courting, but because Naruto was once in the same position as Lee, fervently seeking his teammate's affection.

Naruto learned when it was time to stop, Lee still hadn't.

Butterfly kisses to his neck pulled Lee from his uncertainties. "Don't think, Lee."

Sakura could feel it. The visible tenseness of his muscles. The quietude. It was the sort of contemplation she always saw Sasuke bringing Naruto out of.

At first, she couldn't understand how he was able to detect it before her. He'd been gone for so long and yet, he could read Naruto with such ease that deep down, it angered her. The idea that Naruto would still put up a wall with _her_, who'd gone through think and thin right alongside him, maddened her. _Saddened _her. But, most of all, hurt her profoundly.

Now, she understood. After tonight, everything became clear.

A week ago, Naruto's mission had gone bad. Monumentally bad in that the seal had been tampered with and Kyuubi, who'd normally sped up his recoveries along the way back, had been having trouble both expelling the two types of poison in his bloodstream _and_ mending the gaping wound on his stomach. Not to mention the lacerations throughout his body.

Sasuke...Sasuke had been torn. No. That can't describe what what he'd been. It was like his soul had been ripped from his body, leaving nothing but an empty, shell of a man. Hollow. Broken.

Even after the blond had been deemed stable, he didn't wake up. Tsunade theorized Kyuubi was keeping him from becoming alert in order to quicken his healing, but the fact remained; Naruto was in a coma.

Sasuke never left Naruto's side since he was brought in. Staying by the bed all day and all night. Hardly eating. Barely sleeping. Only leaving his side when he needed to use the restroom.

By the third day, Sakura had to physically pull him away from the chair, yanking his hand out of Naruto's and dodging the punches Sasuke deliberately aimed at her. She could see the desperation in his eyes, the pain to see his lover not waking up.

And in that moment, she did all that she could. She grabbed his hands, pulling him towards her and embraced him, hugged him with every bit of her strength, silently telling the broken man that she was there.

Sasuke resisted at first, pushing her away, his blunt nails digging into her skin, but the fight slowly left him, leaving him clutching at the back of her medical robes, silent tears pooling around her shoulder with heaving pleads directed toward Naruto, asking him to wake up.

For four more days Naruto didn't.

Until today.

Maybe that was the push Sakura needed to find her strength.

Sasuke had been sleeping when something twitched him back into consciousness. Sakura had been jotting down his vital signs.

A raspy _hey babe _and a ghost of his boyish grin was all Sasuke needed to jump from his seat, practically gluing himself to Naruto, muttering incomprehensible words of gratitude and expletives. There she saw the love. The adoration. The devotion. Everything she ever wanted physically manifested itself in front of her eyes. In Naruto and Sasuke.

Her heart couldn't take it. She wanted that for herself.

That's how she left them. Her blood pressure was already off the charts worrying about Naruto's condition, Sasuke's sanity, not to mention she still had other patients. Once she stepped out of the room, she slid down, releasing a shaky breath she hadn't known she's been holding, tears of relief, pain, frustrating tension already halfway down her cheeks.

A worried medic-nin ran to her, asking if she was okay.

Sakura could only nod, managing a choked laugh with a trembling _he's awake. _

The medic brightened up for a second, having been on the receiving end of the Uzumaki charm once or twice, but her apprehension for Sakura's state of being took precedence.

In rank, Sakura surpasses all medic-nins, except for Tsunade, though her proclivity to retain all medical knowledge presented to her and execute procedures almost flawlessly already spoke of an upcoming legend in her generation. Not to mention her strength could be _heard_ all the way down from the training grounds. But when one medic-nin saw exhaustion taking over another of their counterparts, they were immediately taken off schedule.

It wouldn't do to have the ones meant to be taking care of the sick become the patients themselves.

So Sakura had been given a week's leave, reassured that if anything the staff couldn't handle came up, she would be summoned immediately.

Initially, her destination was home. It started as a slow drag of feet automatically moving forward, unmindful of the rain, her mind a million miles away, occupied by the intense longing the scene a few minutes prior had sparked in her.

That's when her thoughts took a turn toward her own love life, or lack thereof. But in every instance, Lee was there. Her Lee. Popping up constantly, patiently. His declarations, his smiles, his unwavering love. The moment she was procrastinating since she realized she loved him had arrived. If she didn't do this now, who knows what the future might have in store. She couldn't waste a single minute. They were living on borrowed time.

She started running then and there. Her destination took a different course, and that's how she ended up here, in his arms, reassuring him as best as she could that this was real. Tangible.

Her kisses trailed across his neck and up, smiling at the bop of his adam's apple as Lee swallowed nervously. She looked up at him as she nipped his jaw.

"Don't doubt yourself. Don't you ever do it. Not anymore. In the end, it was always you. And only you. I'm so sorry for how long it took me to realize."

The deep intake of breath proved her assumptions. She would never let those doubts crawl their way in ever again.

In the end, she never did change out of her wet clothes. Lee could only blame himself for her ensuing cold.

* * *

"I was wrong the time I said you could never say the wrong thing! I swear on the grave I _will_ prepare for you today, if you don't stay in bed and let your leg heal, I will break your other leg and tie you with chakra infused ropes!" She was practically wrestling Lee back into bed.

Lee gaped at her. "But Sakura-chan, I was only doing some light exercise. I need to keep my body in tip-top shape!"

"Lee," Sakura smiled, her voice was oddly sweet, but her eyes were practically spewing fire. Lee was not a man to cower over anything, but an enraged wife was the scariest thing he had ever encountered. "What you _need _to do is lie on this bed like a good boy until the bone mends. Or do you want me to give you a reason to be put into a full body cast again, dear?"

Granted, the last time had been by pure accident. It had taken a while for Lee to spar with her without holding back, but once he did...it could said that the entire hidden village of Konoha was deadly afraid of them, enough to demand the Hokage, Naruto, to assign a special training area far, _far _away from the village.

He was forced to agree one afternoon when one of Sakura's punches sent Lee flying straight into his office, startling him and Sasuke out of a very compromising position.

The training ground was two days away.

Eyes widening, Lee shook his head fervently. Those weeks had actually been hell. "No, ma'am. I will lie still and heal."

The smile that had captured Lee's heart from the moment he saw her graced upon her features. "Good." She bent down and gave her husband a kiss that had Lee following after her lips when she broke away.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke?" Naruto fiddled with the hem of his jacket as they sat in the dinning room, waiting for Sakura to come down.

Sasuke hummed, taking a sip of his tea.

"Aren't you kind of glad we're gay? I mean, if every woman is like Sakura..." he shuddered, feeling slightly bad for bushy-brows. He eyed the chandelier above which was still slightly rocking back and forth from all the commotion he heard upstairs.

Sasuke actually snorted, though he tried to cover it up with a cough, but choked on it when his head was slammed forward. Naruto was no better off.

"You're right Naruto," Sakura strode confidently to the oven, placing food on the plates. "I'm glad you're both gay as well. You wouldn't last a week alive with a woman, and then who would be our _precious_ Hokage and ANBU captain?" She asked with innocent eyes.

Both men glared at her. It didn't faze her.

"Ramen anyone?"

* * *

**A/N: **I started this story back in October. It was supposed to be done and posted by Lee's birthday in November. As you can conclude, it didn't happen. I had fun writing it though. I hope you enjoyed it.


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